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TARANTO
71km
(44 miles) W of Brindisi, 100km
(62 miles) SE of Bari, 533km (330
miles) SE of Rome.
Taranto is not, strictly speaking, a tourist attraction, and
about the only reason tourists do
come, and it is a reason worth
coming for, is to taste the best
sea food in Italy; and the city
has plenty of it. Taranto is
located on a peninsula between two
seas, the Mare Piccolo and Mare
Grande and this ensures that
plenty of oysters, mussels, and
other shellfish will be available
for the tourist to savour. It is a
modern industrial city, but its
economy is now under a strain
mainly because of a reduction in
the strength of the naval forces
stationed there. The old city has
begun to crumble, but the new city
with its wide boulevards and
expensive shops, still draws
crowds.
Taranto legends claim that the city was named after a son of
Poseidon who rode into the harbour
on the back of a dolphin. Cynical
historians however, say that it
was founded by a group of Spartans
in 708 BC. A major center of Magna
Graecia, Taranto was an important
port on the Ionian coast
throughout the fourth century B.C.
Archytas, a Pythagorean
mathematician and philosopher
ruled over the city, and this era
under him was the high point in
the city's history. Plato himself
is said to have come to Taranto
during this time to discuss his
theories on mysteries of life with
the wise and virtuous ruler.
Taranto was involved in a ten year
long war with the Romans in the
third century BC, which finally
ended in defeat for the city. This
led to a loss of much of its power
and influence. It became an
important port city once again ay
the time of the Crusades, after
successfully surviving the Dark
Ages. Though the name of the city
was given to the dreaded species
of spider, there really no deadly
spiders in the city, the name of
the city was also given to a dance
form known as the “Tarantella”.
There was a legend among the
dancing groups that anyone
individuals who had been bitten by
spiders should dance wildly to rid
their bodies of the poison and the
inflicted person would sometimes
dance for days. The dance though
is one of the most popular folk
dances of southern Italy.
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